Warbird Information Exchange

Did you fly Saturday morning? I was hoping to see the Spit take to the skies.

Sam, I did not fly Sat. I could not get fuel or oil on Fri afternoon. There seemed to be definite shortage of service for the planes. Maybe I should have tucked a 55 gal drum of 25w 60 in my baggage compartment. I was later told that I should come out at 8 am on Sat morning. To heck with getting some sleep or breakfast or a moment to read the paper or visit the museum or get to the 9am pilot briefing. I was able to get fuel about 10 am on Sat. I asked the lady in charge of fuel and oil after the briefing as we were instructed to do and was told the service vehicles were driving around the ramp. I waited about 2 hours out by the plane for oil, finally gave up at 11:45 to go to lunch. I never had a chance to vist the museum or the rest of the flight line, finally got oil about 1 pm. At that point I was tired and snt feeling at my peak, it had been long trip down Fri with 3 stops due to the headwind. About 2pm I checked the wind and it was 25 knots and up to 27 with some crosswind. I only needed 1500 feet or so for takeoff, but the briefing was to taxi dowm most of the lenght of the runway, especially for the bombers and P-47. Taxiing the Spitfire downwind heats up the engine and it is hard in that strong a crosswind so I gave up on flying a became a spectator. We had to leave before the show on Sun. Sorry I could not display the plane in the air this year, as others also asked about it.Wish the CAF would buy and fly a Spitfire, but don't think it is going to happen.

[i][/i]

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK

Too bad. Maybe next year the winds will cooperate and you can get in a lil' sooner.

I too have just returned from AIRSHO 2007 and a good time was had by all. I have to comment or counter previous statements made about the CAF ground support crews. I believe they do an excellent job considering the circumstances. There are two huge ramps separated by quite a bit of real estate and there are limited vehicles (gas trucks and others). There are probably more volunteers than vehicles. Patience is the key and one will get what they need before flying or going home. This year I was a little airplane in the midst of the big bomber ramp (yes that was the plan). However the fuel trucks for the bomber ramp can’t be used on the smaller planes. The fuelers were fueling on both ramps according the schedule of the show and I was told approximately when to expect the truck on Saturday. The oil was delivered to the plane while I was not there but of course I take quarts not pumped gallons. However, I discovered that the oil delivered was the incorrect kind and when notified Mark in Maintenance made a special and quick trip to give me the correct type. It was very much appreciated. While waiting for the fuel on Saturday, when I needed a potty break or food break, I enlisted others on the ramp to intercept the truck should it come and they had my instructions as to what amount I needed and into which tanks it should go. The crews and friends around me were certainly willing to help and I returned the favors when they needed it.

This year particularly I needed a bit of extra help due to a broken paw and there was always someone to lend a hand. However, despite the year, I must say I have to give kudos to all the CAF ground support people who work this show; to a person, I have always been greeted with smiles and extreme willingness to accommodate the needs I might have. Their job is daunting mainly because of the size of the show, the large number of planes and the layout of MAF. They should be praised. Thanks, Y’all

Karen, like you I have met many friendly CAF volunteers and employees over the more than 20 years I have been a life member. It's one reason I like to go to the CAF show without pay rather than another more profitable event. But to fly in the show or to fly home, I also need oil and fuel. You may have been able to get oil at most any FBO enroute for your plane, and I'd guess your flight in was about a third the lenght of mine, or maybe you have room to carry oil with you. I don't, barely have room for my son to carry a change of clothes. It would be great if I could leave instructions for a bystander to add fuel or oil, and with many planes I could. Mine uses a special wrench to open the fuel caps, done in a certain order. What do I do if the fuel truck driver mistakenly leaves with that wrench while I am out at lunch? The oil, heavy 120 or 25w60, was topped at home, but is not readily avialable enroute. Normal Merlin consumption is as much as a gallon an hour and it is usually not avialble at FBOs. The oil filler cap is inside the engine cowl, reqiures special tools and the knowledge of how much to fill and most of all not to drop the cap inside the cowlilng. I don't think the average person on the ramp knows how to do this. Believe me, I'd love to be in the club swapping pilot jokes while someone else does the servicing. My son was able to help with the fueling, but he can't do the oil if there is no truck on the fighter ramp late FRi afternoon or all Sat morning. I was told that both trucks were on the bomber ramp, in order to provide smoke oil over there. Maybe they did not anticipate as many planes as we had with the later versions. I was also told that it was a money issue, and it was done under contract, not all by volunteers. My part was to get the plane to Midland and I did that. Some good folks who are marshallers even tried to help find the oil truck and did help find the fuel truck even though the trucks don't have radios.

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK

Didn't the CAF just get a Spitfire? Or did I dream that one up? Wouldn't surprise me, what were we talking about?

Me too....and that was not what I was saying. I was present for my fueling on Saturday and somewhat on Monday (thanks, Eric). I was also present for the fueling of the other O-2 on Sunday while Randy was in the tower during the show. I appreciate what you are saying about the pumped oil; I have helped with that process on a few radials in the past. However those people providing oil also were stretched thin and as far as I saw were doing a pretty darn good job considering. They were on the fighter ramp Friday because that’s where I found them to let them know what I might need prior to flying Sat. They were very accommodating doing my smoke oil while I was not there; I could not lift those containers or get it in the reservoir due to my broken hand, so they were very helpful and did it when it was convenient for them. However, had I had a system/situation like yours then I would have tried to work with them to be at the plane for the oil. And my breaks were probably 10 mins max and I made sure there were backups at my plane in case the fuel trucks came during that time. I was told a time range to be there and I was or a surrogate was. Because of their workload it's a lot easier to work with them and adjust schedules accordingly. Even at smaller shows I find this to work well too and everybody can appreciate everybody's "job." Bill, I’m not trying to give you grief but more importantly trying to give credit where due to some very fine support people who I believe you might have mis-portrayed.

I wasn't at AirSho this year and when I went last year, the fuel truck showed up to the R4D within an hour of arrival (we were still cleaning up after arrival), so we may have been spoiled, but it is one constant I've seen at airshows over the year with one exception - Oshkosh. The problem? Not enough Ground guys. There might be enough marshallers, but there are rarely enough flightline people and equipment to handle the airshow. I think that it's an item that usually ends up as 2nd or 3rd on the list of things to make sure they have and as a result, there's usually not enough people and/or equipment available to take care of the needs in a timely manner and thus you get situations like both of you describe where the possibility of waiting for quite some time for fuel and oil. The sad part is that there is no easy fix. The only way to fix it is to ship in additional fuel trucks and use several pickups with 55 gallon drums of oil or oil service vehicles with competent operators for the airshow. That costs a LOT of money because of the need for specialized transport (most airport fuel trucks are not road worthy and most have governors on them so they don't go very fast anyway) for the fuel trucks and the need to pay those operators to operate their vehicles. Oshkosh pays that money and brings in a half dozen or so additional vehicles from other airports (usually from ASIG @ O'Hare) to provide fuel during the event. But it's a week-long event that will support that extra charge, something that even a 2-3 day event like AirSho may not.

I try being nice to the ladies at registration.

Just got home last night from AirSho, commercially that is. Had a chance to meet Eric D. while he was working on his Skyraider, but unable to meet the others there, sorry, seems to be my regular lately.

Spent Thursday and Friday hiding in the tents at the taxiway trying to avoid melting in the heat, and photographing everything that came in from 8:00 in the morning until about 6:00pm. Went for an early morning media flight on Friday and saw Gary, but he was so busy, I didn't want to butt in. As the ramps remained as "hot ramps" during the shows, I just hunkered down at the media tent during the shows.

Bill, looked for you quite a few times, but the plane remained covered most of the weekend, and while trying to stay near the fighter area Sunday morning, got shoo'ed away when you came to depart and the plane was uncovered. Couldn't hook up with you at BBQ dinner Sat. night, as I went on another photo mission with an A-26 and Skyraider, and got to the Barbeque at last call. Asked a few people if they knew you without any positive results. Gave you a peace sign from the media stand as you departed Sunday morning.

Seems just about everything at the show flew at one point or another, and the passes were excellent and enjoyed by all. As the heavies made their passes, it was difficult at times trying to decide which one to photograph on the passes.

Other than for my media reports, it will probably be a few weeks before I can post some pictures..............Roger the exhausted.

PS. A miserable 12 hour process on AA to fly from SFO to Midland and on my return home, they lost one of my bags. I'm waiting for a call that they may have found it.

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Roger Cain
www.sfahistory.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Stearman/


We must limit politicians to two terms:
one in office and one in jail.

Karen, I was sort of joking when I said the fuel/oil guys adjourned to the Officers Club early Fri. eve. It was just a guess, I really wasn't sure where they were, only that the oil trailer was static and unattended and I didn't see a fuel truck. When I drove into town and passed the drive in, and saw the billboard for the double feature: KING KONG KIDNAPS PAM ANDERSON, along with W MAKES GOOD, BUSH GOES FROM LOCAL TO CHEERLEADER TO PARTY BOY TO EMPEROR. So I have a pretty good idea where they went. Anyway it really is a help to me as a pilot if I can get the plane serviced sometime within the first couple of hours of arrival so I can relax and enjoy some of the other aspects of the show and area. It was my son's first year at this CAF show and I really wanted to show him around and the museum, etc. I think it I had gotten it done Fri I might have flown Sat. I would have liked to fly Sun in the show, a group of Brit enthuwsiast came up to the plane, but I had ot leave early to get David back to college, and he made it on time. We both agree that there are many fine CAF voulunteers and employees.

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK